has a ‘low risk’ bushfire rating.
For more information:
This means on days of forecast catastrophic fire danger
rating, our school/preschool will remain open.
DECD Emergency and Crisis Management Website
School buses and taxis will not operate within the Fire
Ban District.
www.crisis.sa.edu.au
Bushfire Emergency Contact:
www.cfs.sa.gov.au
Department for Education and Child Development:
SA Country Fire Service (CFS) Website:
CFS Bushfire Information Hotline:
School/Preschool number:
Please note that this number may be
engaged during an emergency situation. If you are
unable to get through please contact the DECD Parent
Bushfire Information Hotline: 1800 000 279
1300 362 361
During days of forecast catastrophic fire danger ratings
or an actual bushfire, the DECD Parent Bushfire
Information Hotline will be activated.
DECD Parent Bushfire Information Hotline:
1800 000 279
2014/2015
Fire Danger
Season
Information
for Families
Approaching Bushfire:
The fire danger season can be an anxious time for
children and families.
Our schools and preschools in bushfire prone areas
have emergency and Bushfire Response Plans, to
keep everybody as safe as possible in the event of
a bushfire.
By being prepared, and acting now, you will help our
schools and preschools to be bushfire ready and
keep our children as safe as possible.
Thank you for your support.
How you can help:
We ask parents and carers to:
If our school or preschool is open and a bushfire is
approaching, the safety of children is our highest
priority.
Days of Catastrophic Fire Danger
Rating:
Catastrophic fire danger rating days are days when the
weather conditions mean a fire is more likely to start and
is more difficult to control.
When a catastrophic fire danger rating is
forecast for the following day by the Bureau of
Meteorology, all ‘low/medium risk’ schools and
preschools (such as ours) in the declared Fire Ban
District will remain open.
Principals and preschool directors must comply with
SAPOL and CFS instructions.

Read all bushfire information provided.
School buses and taxis services that travel through
affected Fire Ban District(s) however will not operate.

Talk to your children about what will happen if a
bushfire occurs when they are at school or
preschool.
Parents and carers will need to make alternative
transport arrangements for their children on these
days.

Make sure your emergency contact details are upto-date with our school or preschool.
Please make sure your emergency contact details
are updated before the fire danger season starts.

Make a Personal Bushfire Survival Plan for your
family and tell your school or preschool if this affects
your child’s attendance.
The school or preschool Emergency Response Team
(with the assistance of SA Police and other emergency
services) will take charge if a bushfire is approaching. It
is recommended that during these events, everybody
should remain at their school or
preschool unless instructed to do otherwise.
Unless there is no other option, or our school or preschool
is advised to evacuate by CFS or other emergency
services then everyone will remain inside a designated
building and emergency procedures will be activated.
These will include:

Moving everybody inside, closing windows, doors, and
turning off the air-conditioning.

Filling available containers with water.

If it is safe to do so and time permits turning on all
sprinklers and irrigation systems.

Remaining inside and activating our emergency
procedures with the children until the main fire-front
passes.

Listening to local ABC Radio Station and FIVEaa radio
stations for bushfire up dates and information.

If possible, communicating to parents that students
are moving into the designated building.
We hope that we will never have to enact our emergency
procedures for a bushfire. However we are working with
our school and preschool communities to be ready in the
event of a bushfire emergency and trust that as parents
and carers we will have your support.
DECD Bushfire and Emergency Management Team 26 September 2014